Chapter Text
It was just after eight P.M., ten miles east of Zaravan City. The sun had dipped into the horizon, painting soft streaks of orange and purple against the sky. Night was steadily approaching, the darkness creeping up and aligning with the clouds.
Farah watched the night meet dusk as she stood over the terrace of a building overlooking the Amara riverside. She looked over and watched as the last rays of sunset hit the deep blue water of the river, making light glitter and dance across its surface. A sight so beautiful Farah could barely tear her eyes away. She hadn’t seen something this beautiful in a long time, except for one thing.
Farah heard footsteps slowly approaching her from behind her, and she whirled around her, her eyes narrowing. She relaxed when she saw it was only Alex, the American who had abandoned his country for hers.
“Farah,” he greeted her gently, with that charming smile of his that reached his eyes.
“Alex,” she replied, looking up at him. She kept her tone neutral, maintaining her professionalism. Yet, around Alex, it was so hard to do so.
“Enjoying the view, ma’am?” He asked, watching her guarded expression.
“Quite,” she replied, turning back to face the water and setting sun.
Alex watched her turn away and faced the water. “It’s quiet,” he murmured.
She sighed. “A rare occasion,” she said. “Silence is hard to find here in Urzikstan,” she remarked bitterly, her voice low.
“It’s unfortunate,” he replied.
“A small price to pay when fighting for the greater good,” Farah mused, facing Alex.
“Silence isn’t a small thing, you know. Sometimes, it’s all that you want. It can be comfortable, or…relaxing. Peaceful, even,” he explained wistfully.
She scoffed. “We are far from peace, Alex. Though, we pray we reach it someday,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
He looked at her and smiled. “All we can do is hope, and keep fighting, ma’am,” he said.
Farah realized that it would take years before Urzikstan could return to the state it was in prior to the Russian invasion. She would do anything for her country, even die for it. That was a risk she was willing to take. Ever since Hadir betrayed her, she knew that she could no longer trust as easily as she used to. Farah couldn’t let herself go through that pain ever again. It would put too many lives at risk, and she wouldn’t let that happen. If she did, she would never be able to forgive herself.
“Yes. That is all we can do,” she murmured, mostly to herself.
“Farah, look at me,” Alex said gently, carefully placing his hand on her shoulder.
She looked up, gazing into his aquamarine eyes that were framed by his dusty brown eyelashes. The eyes that she secretly loved about him.
“We’ll get through this,” he told her quietly, a look of solid reassurance on his face.
I love you, he wanted to say.
“I know,” she responded.
I love you too, she wanted to reply.